WRITTEN BY HYUGA NATSU
THIS STORY IS A FICTION AND ALL NAMES OF FIGURES AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
Suirei.
At least keep the rats under control.
I'm terribly sorry.
Oh?
I've seen this child before.
Lady Shenmei.
I apologize.
He is Shirou's child.
Just a child's prank.
Come on, let's go.
Mother.
Loulan.
I knew it!
Well, then, whip this girl.
A hundred lashes should be enough.
Prepare a pillar to tie her to.
Lady Shenmei, please.
This is bad.
That woman's dangerous. I sneaked in
and saw the Feifa.
They'll claim it's punishment and get rid of me.
Hurry up.
Mother,
remember what you said before?
That you wanted a new apothecary?
This girl is it.
She doesn't look like one.
True, but she's over 30.
By constantly testing her own medicines,
she's made her body stop aging.
Oh?
I do not know which medicine works,
but she may be able to create an elixir of immortality.
If she fails, she'll die like the man before her.
An elixir of immortality? The man before her?
Well, if that's the case, then fine.
Lady Ayla, we'll continue this conversation later.
Yeah.
Oh, right.
She won't be able to work here properly, right?
Take the apothecary with us,
to our "Fortress."
So Shisui's true identity was
Consort Loulan.
What an actress.
No, more like a tanuki.
When I gave special lessons to the four ladies,
she sat there in flashy clothes, expressionless.
She avoided the Empress Dowager
and didn't get near Consort Lishu in the bath,
probably so no one would realize she was Consort Loulan.
She did not hide from me,
because when I caught Maomao,
I didn't recognize her as Consort Loulan.
I had a vague feeling though.
She liked bugs, was a little odd,
and gossiped like any normal girl.
Turns out I was completely fooled.
This was the room used by the previous apothecary.
I didn't plan to bring you this far.
Is Shisui
your half-sister?
She's the only one who treats me like a sister.
I thought so.
I heard Loulan was Lord Shishou's only daughter,
but if there was a second daughter from another mother,
then someone as terrifying as Lady Shenmei,
would never approve of her existence.
Lady Shenmei absolutely despises me.
My father, Shishou,
was just a branch member of the Shi family.
But due to his talents,
he was adopted into the main family, Lady Shenmei's family.
That's when he was given the name "Shishou,"
and the two got engaged.
But during the previous emperor's reign,
Lady Shenmei was summoned to the rear palace.
When she returned years later, supposedly as a gift,
my mother and I were already at my father's side.
She kicked us out of the house
and made us work as servants.
She even hated the fact
that my name included a character from the Shi family.
Wait, then "Shisui".
Yeah. That used to be my name.
Seems like Loulan really liked that name.
If she was going to use a fake name as a maid,
she could have picked something else.
That's just how she is.
Born from the same father but different mothers.
One raised like a flower, offered to the emperor.
The other,
sent to the rear palace as just a handmaid,
moving in the shadows.
Suirei was involved in the attempted assassination of Lord Jinshi
at the middle shrine.
She used the chaos of the warehouse explosion
to steal the ritual tools,
and when it was discovered, she faked her death and escaped.
And the recent Feifa attack…
Lord Shishou was probably behind that too.
Lord Jinshi, the palace administrator,
was trying to reform the rear palace.
Going against Lord Shishou's way.
But is that all?
Shisui. No,
Loulan mentioned that hairpin being valuable.
He's not just an official.
Not even a eunuch.
What's wrong?
When you disguised yourself as an eunuch to enter the rear palace,
how were you inspected?
What? Out of nowhere.
It was a physical check.
For a man who's not castrated to enter?
Three officials perform a physical exam.
It's hard to fake it.
Then how did Lord Jinshi get in?
The only men who can freely come and go in the rear palace are
the emperor or his close relatives.
The only man close to the emperor is his younger brother
No, I thought about that possibility,
but the ages do not match.
Still, those childish moments of his,
if that's his real self
Now that I think of it,
during the hunt, he tried to tell me something important.
Ox bezoar can drive people mad.
How terrifying.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
All right, let's set this aside for now.
First, we need to assess the situation.
Snow.
Yeah, it's just beginning to fall in earnest.
In the north, the highlands?
Shenmei called it a "Fortress."
Surrounded by thick walls and backed by a cliff.
Why would Shenmei be here?
Lord Gaoshun suspected the envoy had snuck out of the inn
and was dealing with someone.
Those Western weapons made in the workshop, the Feifa.
Are you planning to start a war?
That's not my decision to make.
But since Lady Loulan said that,
go ahead and pretend to mix some medicines.
I was going to anyway.
I will bring you meals.
Just make sure not to upset Lady Shenmei.
War, huh. That's bold.
Now, what do I do?
We're on the third floor.
It's snowing outside,
and even if I escape, I might collapse before reaching a village.
Was the last apothecary confined like this too?
Supposedly died while testing medicines.
Oh? Whoa!
A treasure trove left by the previous apothecary?
It must be the post-harvest season by now.
I remember
hearing wars happen when farmers have free time.
If this is the northern Shihoku province…
Ten days by boat from the rear palace,
then walking to the hot springs, then by carriage.
There's only one mountainous region within that range.
I should've studied more.
Young master, do not play over there!
Eh,
but I haven't finished exploring that part yet!
So there's another child besides Kyou-u.
When we were brought here from the village,
Suirei looked reluctant
when Kyou-u insisted on coming.
Maybe she really wanted to leave him behind.
If the Shi clan starts a rebellion,
the whole family will be punished.
Even the women, the children, the babies.
Do the children know that?
Have the adults told them?
I wish I could think of it as someone else's problem.
Mother is smiling.
This is where I'm supposed to smile.
When Mother was mad at Father,
I was supposed to be mad too.
When she was punishing someone,
I was supposed to just watch. That's how I learned to act.
When Mother smiled, I smiled. When she grieved, I grieved.
If I stayed a doll, Mother would not get angry.
She would not become any uglier.
I felt trapped and suffocated,
but I thought that was fine.
But then.
Filthy!
You and that woman!
You should never have been born!
I was wrong.
Mother just kept getting uglier.
Even staying a doll could not stop her.
It was all for nothing.
By the time I realized that,
everything was already too late.
Hey.
Lady Shenmei is calling.
I've brought the apothecary.
Excuse me.
The smell of musk.
Something's been mixed in.
So?
Is the elixir of immortality ready yet?
It still needs a bit more time.
Oh, I see.
In here, it feels like they're mistress and servant.
Even though they usually seem like close sisters.
Make sure you have results by tomorrow.
Understood.
Let's go.
I'm only allowed out of the room once a day,
during these reports.
I hate the situation I'm in,
but not the work itself.
Most of the medicines are old,
but the selection is as good as what the medical office had.
Tons of research materials too.
Whoever the last apothecary was, they must have been incredibly skilled.
Hey, apothecary.
Yes, Lord Kyou-u?
Ugh, gross!
-Ouch. -Ugh, I want to punch him.
Who's that?
The new apothecary.
Hey, was there another woman in Lady Shenmei's room?
Yes, there was.
Really? My mother's supposed to be there.
Did she seem well?
Kyou-u's mother.
In there.
I could not say for sure, I do not know which one she was.
I see.
That can't be helped.
Mother's supposed to be busy with work.
Maybe I should've just waited back home after all.
Was he sent to the hot springs
to keep him from meeting his mother?
Or, was it his mother herself.
Well then, I'll be going.
Ah, hey.
Never mind!
So that's how it is, Lahan.
Yes, it is just a hypothesis based on the numbers, but
The northern fortress governed by Shishou is being expanded.
Yes. It was originally an abandoned fortress.
No paperwork has been filed for the expansion.
In other words,
rebellion.
Even if the Shi clan has served since the Wang Mu's era,
and even if Shishou was once the empress regnant's favorite,
it is still inexcusable.
How far along is it?
Judging by when iron prices started rising,
I believe preparations are well underway.
We must act quickly.
What are you doing,
Lahan?
F-Father.
General.
It is not proper to visit someone of that rank so often.
It invites strange rumors.
Especially when
the person in question does not appear to be male or female.
-How dare you! -Basen!
But Father!
Lord Gaoshun.
I understand what the General is trying to say.
The fault lies in my own inadequacy.
Precisely.
Considering how much he dotes on his daughter,
I suppose I'm lucky this confrontation didn't come sooner.
The hidden passage,
the missing eunuch,
the nonexistent maid "Shisui."
I was always a step behind.
And in the end, Maomao was taken.
That is my failure.
Despite someone being able to move freely
between the inner and outer palace,
my daughter was abducted.
And that someone
just sits leisurely surrounded by paperwork.
Are you saying
the fate of one woman does not matter to you?
If that is sarcasm, I will accept it.
But the true enemy is not me.
It is Shishou.
If you understand that much,
then what are you doing?
Huh!
The General sees right through me.
That I lack confidence in my true role,
that I ran away from it, and now sit comfortably in this position.
Half-hearted appearance,
half-hearted work.
Do you really think things will go well like that?
Remaining an irresponsible damn eunuch.
What do you think you can accomplish like that?
I…
Now, now. That was harsh.
Uncle?
I never thought you saw me that way.
I did not choose to become a eunuch for fun, you know.
No! That is not what I meant at all!
I was not talking about you, Uncle!
I am an irresponsible eunuch.
I can barely walk properly.
I even had the luxury of being carried here in a litter.
I share the blame for what happened,
because I failed to keep proper watch over Maomao.
That's not true!
I'm not blaming you at all, Uncle!
We made it in time.
When you get angry, you get aggressive fast.
But it is important to act with an awareness
of the other person's circumstances.
I know, Uncle.
That was just a heat-of-the-moment exchange.
I never really meant what I said.
I was not exactly exchanging harsh words, though.
Before it turns into a real fight,
shouldn't you express what you really want to say, and do it properly, with respect?
I have come to make a request!
To defeat the traitor, Shishou,
I ask that the army be mobilized!
It appears the Shi clan
has been manufacturing a new type of Feifa for the past few years.
There was an attempted assassination using one,
and also the matter of Loulan's escape.
We already have sufficient proof of treason.
The rot should be cut out before it spreads.
This is not an appeal to Jinshi the eunuch.
If Shishou is to be punished for treason against the nation,
then it falls to the Imperial Guard,
the Emperor's direct forces, to act.
LI
And the one to lead them
will not be General Lakan.
How long?
How long do you intend to keep deceiving everyone with that false persona?
Lord Jinshi.
No.
The Moon Prince.
I always knew,
this day would come.
It seems the time has come to make my decision.
PREVIEW OF THE NEXT EPISODE
The next episode is "The Toad Tray."
Subtitle translation by: Abhishek Chand Ramola